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Billy Napier reportedly targeting assistants from NFL, B1G to fill out Florida coaching staff
By SDS Staff
Published:
Billy Napier has hired 5 of his 10 on-field assistants for his first Florida coaching staff. A new report reveals the rest are likely to come from the NFL and the Big Ten.
G. Allan Taylor of The Athletic reports that Napier is targeting 4 assistants from the NFL and a key Michigan State staffer. Per Taylor, Napier is targeting Chris Rumph, Karl Scott and Eric Henderson from the NFL to join his defensive staff. New York Giants offensive line coach Rob Sale is expected to join Florida’s offensive staff. From the college ranks, Napier is reportedly looking to hire Michigan State’s William Peagler as the Gators’ new tight ends coach.
Taylor writes that 3 of the NFL assistants as well as one staffer already hired will make 7 figures:
Though contracts aren’t finalized, the staff is primed to feature four $1 million assistants — Scott, Henderson, Sale and co-defensive coordinator Patrick Toney.
Scott, in his first season with the Minnesota Vikings, was Alabama’s defensive backs coach from 2018-20.
Henderson coaches defensive line for the Los Angeles Rams. After playing professionally, he got into coaching in 2012 with Georgia Military College. After stops at Oklahoma State and UTSA, he made the jump to the NFL as an assistant defensive line coach with the Los Angeles Chargers in 2017.
Sale has worked with Napier at Alabama (2011), Arizona State (2017) and Louisiana (2018-20).
Rumph, currently coaching the defensive line for the Chicago Bears, held the same position at Florida from 2015-17, adding a co-coordinator title in 2017. He was Tennessee’s co-defensive coordinator and outside linebackers coach for 2 seasons (2018-19). Rumph and Napier also worked together at Alabama in 2011 and ’13.
Peagler, 36, currently coaches running backs at Michigan State. A former grad assistant at Georgia (2017), he was on Napier’s Louisiana staff in 2018 before reuniting with Mel Tucker at Colorado (2019) and following the coach to MSU.
Saturday Down South reports and comments on the news around the Southeastern Conference as well as larger college football topics.
